Web page unavailable while working offline message

Everytime I start my computer, I get a message in a little box from internet explorer saying "Web page unavailable while working offline". It pops up around 7 or 8 times no matter how many times I X the box out.

I dont even use Internet Explorer, and have removed it from my system as completely as I can without messing up the OS.

Does anyone have any idea how to stop this message from appearing?

 

Have you checked your msconfig if there is something strange and unusual?

 

No, I wouldnt really know what to look for while I was messing around in there. All I know about config is its one of the ways I could start the computer in safe mode.

 

Sounds like you have something trying to get to the internet and when it tries, you aren't connected. I'd be looking for malware, spyware, viruses, etc. Though there are legitimate things that try to go on-line on an automated basis, it is better to be safe than sorry.
. Use the best scanning tools you have available to you: Spybot, Adaware, M$ Malware Removal Tool, M$ Anti-Spyware Tool (the last two are DLable from the M$ site), etc...
. Make sure you have a good two-way Firewall installed like Sygate Personal Edition or the free version of ZoneAlarm. Once you have DLed one of those and are ready to install it, disable XP's included Firewall as it is next to useless.
. And use the custom HOSTS file available here- www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm -as it short circuits a lot of attempts by malware or spyware to go online successfully. Plus you don't see a lot of ads that you might otherwise see on the sites you visit - makes for quicker page loading. Be sure to read all the docs available for the HOSTS file to get the best use from it. There is one thing that bothered me until I figured it out. There is a line in the HOSTS file that blocks the free Andale hit counters in eBay listings. It is easy to REMark out that line and get your counters back.

.bh.

 

A guy emailed me and helped confirm my former suspicion that this might be the cause of some sort of mal ware.... he mentioned something about a M$ site that has programs I can d/l, but didnt leave the link... does anyone have that?

 

Can you start Internet Explorer?

If so, click on File and untick Work Offline.

Steve

 

Yeah, its unticked... but I still receive the message.

 

Download and run these two programs, see if that solves it.

Ad-Aware SE…..Install, click Check for Updates now and get any updates, then exit. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download506.html

SpyBot - Search & Destroy ....Install, do the search for updates now and get any updates. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2471.html

Steve

 

No good... I've had those programs for about a year now... Ad aware found something last night that was a "high threat" with its newest definitions... but it didnt solve the problem.

I've tried other higher end programs like the pc tools program, it found a ton of stuff, unfortunately you have to have a reg key to delete anything it finds

 

Hmm... Have you installed anything which wanted to register you?

 

After I installed firefox, I started getting the problem. But I had also been messing around with Internet explorer trying to uninstall it as completley as I could without messing up the os.

 

Not a good idea; IE is so tightly wound into Windows it's only asking for trouble trying to remove it.

Besides, you need it for Windows Updates.